Joseph Lister, Surgery Using Antiseptic Spray, 19th Century

Lister's antiseptic spray in action during surgery. Joseph Lister (April 5, 1827 - February 10, 1912) was an English surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. He found that carbolic acid solution swabbed on wounds remarkably reduced the incidence of gangrene. Lister tested the results of spraying instruments, the surgical incisions, and dressings with a solution of it. He instructed surgeons under his responsibility to wear clean gloves and wash their hands before and after operations with 5% carbolic acid solutions. As the germ theory of disease became more widely accepted, it was realized that infection could be better avoided by preventing bacteria from getting into wounds in the first place

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Antiseptic Antiseptics Carbolic Clean Infirmary Lister Operating Spray Sterilized Surgeon Surgery

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